The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-19
rrln,.a " srealal Arranae,en copgrieAted. lss7.
THE EMILY BRAND BRIGANIINE
Her Strange Story,
rY ANDREW RUssEY ALLEN.


L. g
about to be played upon US and 1 wanted him to
see what it was with me. 1t did not occur to me
that the companion hatch could have been made
fast, 50 turned to the stops the dog accom-
pAnyiug me closely-too closely, in fact. AS
raised my foot felt that 1 was unable to place
It on the frat stair. 1t was as though the exit
from the cabin mad been walled mp. second
attempt was equally in vain. en-
deavored to precipitate myself into the
companionway. might we'll have
tried TO walk through wall of
solid rock, and still, in extending my hands and
looking before me, felt nothing but soft
though forbiddihg pressure and saw nothing but
the open stairway. / cannot say whether my
sensation was one of terror or bewilderment-
perhaps it was a minging of the two. / called
aloud with the full strength of my lungs. but the
sound of my voice seemed strangely mutfied. even
while I was perfectly conscious that had
full possession of my seuses. During all this
time the dog had been pressing close against
me- trembling like q leaf--shuddering. l laid
NY hand on his head. 1t was hot to the touch.
looked down at him. With his ears laid back,
his eyes protruding and his tongue hanging
out he was the picture of terror-such pict-
ure as hope never to see again. A great fear
less. noble mastif utterly abject and covering
like any little cur.
And now the cabin lamps were suddenly ex-
tinguished and only q small lantern left burning
on the table. Tue atmosphere became oppres-
sively hot and a musty. moldy odor pervaced the
apartment. In the deepened darkness turned
10 look behind me with added foreboding-if
my horror may be said rot to have reached it's
meme already. Beneath the door of the star
board state-room. forward, saw n brilliant line
of light, and in the same place as before the
weird shadow of the afternoon, now bent over as
though he who cast it there were listening at the
door With nv hand still on the mastiffs head.
and impelled by some power not my own and
stronger than my will. moved towards the
shade. My third step placed me directly In
front of OF the large leather louneine chairs,
which was SO situated as to squarely face the
dreadful corner. Into this chair sank not
only invclautarily but seemingly by physical
compulsiou, the dog standing against 1t beside
rne. As again l laid my hand upon him
felt that he was rigid and strained in
every MUSCLE. AS 1 gaZed at the shadow 1t
slowly bee sme upright and huge and cast itself
clearly upon the door, which immediately swung
indefnable sensation of almost intoleraole pres
sure came upon me. / felt as though bound with
iron or incased in lead The char seemed to
hold mein vice-like embrace. All power of
motion left me- tried TO speak. was dumb.
The silence awful My sense of loneliness
appalling My mind, however, was most active
and acute, and, after n moment, every faculty
seemed TO be concentrated upon attention to
what was going on before me-
Within the state room saw a short, thioS ~at
man seated n camp-stool beside the berth,
under a hanging lamp which shed a brilliant
light With his face in his hands and his head
leaning against the partition before him. he
seemed asleep; but l could not see that he
breathed Behind him and half turned from
me, saw one standing who seemed to me to be
the original of the shadow. and who. as looked,
raised his right arm in the air and dealt
the sleeping man n terrible blow at the
back of the head with a heavy marine epike.
crushing the skull and killing the victim in
stantlv No blood followed the stroke, and, al
though as have said, the room was brilliantly
illuminated. / saw no shadows The murderer
seized the dead mans body before it fell to the
floor and opening the forward door OF the
state-room which led into the between-decks
space passed out, dragging the corpse with
him. and disappeared in the darkness Almost
at once however, he returned, and as he
came towards me into the cabin 1 again recog
nized the horrible face OF the giant had seen
cross the deck above in the afternoon-the face
of the man at whose hand believed that Dray-
TON with unerring aim, had fred in the open
port hole little while before. He entered the
apartment, and following with my eyes the
direction Of his movements, saw him extend
his hand and take up from the bunk, where he
might have been sitting few moments
earlier. what appeared to me to be car
penters chisel or screw driver. With this
he again vanished into the darkness be-
tween decks. AS he did so the forward door of
the srate-room closed behind him and, sirnulta-
neousy the light within it went out and the
lamps in the cabin were relighted, while the
doors and port holes, skylight and companion
hatch were, felt, reopened. My hand being
srill upon the dog perceived a tremcr or shud-
q
deem sigh he instantly thereafter dashed from
che cabin to the deck l heard Drayton's voice
call loudly, "Roy, Roy" and then a splash in
Freed from the terrible pressure now arose
blndlv to make my own way to the deck from
the sitting atmosphere of the cabin; but the
walls and furniture seemed 70 "nlrl ana spin
around and around me-and l remembered no
more.
When recovered consciousness / was again
seated in the heavy chair the cabin was cool,
odo of al
ton was standing over me with his hand on my
forehead and heard the tramp of feet on the
deck above. looked at my watch. which had
laid Oman on the table several hours earlier. and
and il told me that had been in the cabin alone
with the dog but ten minutes at the uttermost.
From my companion learned that after leav-
inc me he had called the forward watch and one
of the men from the deck-house, and searched
frnitlessly for trace OF the man at the port
hole AS he had approached the companion-way
the dog had dashed from it foaming at the mouth
and in his madness, leaped into the sea- Every
effort was made to save him, but we never saw
the poor fellow again
The remaining hours of the night passed with
out ina Msent. ! related to Drayton what 1 had
seen iIithe cabin, and we agreed that whatever
the power was exhibiting itself on board the
Observation-Disclosures human or superhuman;
natural or supernaturai-it one that GER
tainly could not account for. theorize as we
might. Drayton, however. held to his purpose
of taking the vessel to Gibraltar. there to turn
her over, with as much of her story as we could
tell, TO the Vice Admiralty Court for investiga-
ton.
IN the morning we made exsmin alton of the
room in which had the phantom murder
committed Gf / may describe as phantom
those who seemed no less real flesh and blood
than myself, and of the between-decks space
forward OF it, but we discovered nothing. AT
the edge of the port hole however, at the spot
where the hand had been, we found the bullet
from the revolver buried in the wood.
BY this time the seamen had gotten an linking
of the character of the ships mystery, but zone
of them had actually seen anything tnor strange
ly enough had heard the shotl Drayton's good
sense and frmness triumphed over their super
stition and we were enabled to work the derelct
TO port without difficulty and without further
incident. A second night passed In her cabin
by both of US quiet and uueventful in every
way but we were satisfied that We had discov-
cred the cause of her Abandonment The sail
ors would have said that she was haunted"
We made Gibraltar on. the morning Of the 18th
of December, and. Immediately reporting the
circumstances under which we had found the
Emily Brand" we turned her over to the au-
thorities.
The Queens proctor in admiralty at
ordered special survey of the vessel by the
surveyor OF shipping, assisted by the marshal OF
the court and expert diver. The result of
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